


One Man and His Cat

by Summer_Storm



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adorable Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Also Turkish Eren Yeager, Also wtf is the correct English spelling of these people's names??, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), F/F, F/M, French-Speaking Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), German Eren Yeager, How exactly does one 'tag', I can't remember what else to tag, I want this to be a slow burn, It probably won't be, Jealous Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Levi is a clean freak cat, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, sorry if I make your brain bleed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-19 19:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8221690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summer_Storm/pseuds/Summer_Storm
Summary: His forest green eyes shine bright with unanswered questions, chestnut brows furrowed slightly."But... that doesn't make any sense."Levi cocks his head and sends Eren an unimpressed glance."I'm a cat. I'm not required to make sense."





	1. Fire Lit Reminiscence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fic, so forgive me if I make your eyes bleed, and it's also not beta'd so if my grammar is shit then please don't hesitate to point it out to me. But in a not humiliating way...? I mean, if I make a mistake then it's pretty embarrassing anyway but if you could- you know, just, be nice and not be all... Meh... I don't know. You get the point, right?
> 
> SO here we go. I know Cat Levi is kind of a thing of the past (I don't actually know this, but I haven't seen any recent ones, soooo) but the mental image was too cute and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. 
> 
> So without further ado, Please enjoy. （＾∇＾）

 

 

 

"Levi."

The name rings out softly in the quiet hall of the house, it's dim lighting and warm carpeted floors giving it a cozy and welcoming ambiance.

"Levi, where are you? Come sit with me by the fire. I'll read to you."

One worn out Eren Jaeger coos softly, peering into his bedroom in search of his housemate of almost three years.

After a few seconds of wandering around, Eren sighs tiredly and slumps onto his bed, frowning thoughtfully.

_Where could he be?_

"Mraaw."

The soft noise makes Eren turn his head towards the doorway of his bedroom, and he smiles when his eyes land on Levi.

The black and white domestic short haired is sat daintily on his haunches, black tail wrapped around his legs in such a way that makes you want to gush sweet nothings. Levi tilts his head slightly in a curious manner and stares at Eren with astonishing unique grey and highly unimpressed eyes that convey with utmost clarity; _'What on earth are you doing?'_

Eren grins, letting a breathy chuckle escape his lips as he takes in the achingly familiar expression. For a creature of his size, Levi sure can make you feel pretty tiny with only a glance. It's a good thing Eren's used to it.

"Ah, there you are," Eren says lightly, getting up and padding towards Levi, gingerly scooping him up into his arms and cradling him gently. It seems he's in a good mood today, Eren thinks, for he doesn't bat at Eren's face or hiss at him, which he does with rather intense ferocity sometimes as he hates being picked up more often than not.

The scent of vanilla wafts from Levi's soft fur. Eren finds himself smirking, albeit reluctantly, as he walks into the fire lit living room and rounds his large cream couch that sits directly in front of the fireplace to airily settle himself and his Levi into a worn, squishy La-Z-Boy just to the right of the fire. He picks up a thick blanket and his book from the armrest and wraps the blanket securely around his torso, folding his legs underneath him for warmth and smiling when Levi wiggles his way out of the loosely wrapped blankets where Eren had trapped him to his abdomen. He curls up in Eren's lap and looks up at him with anticipation shining in his mysterious silver orbs.

Eren takes the chance to question Levi's bad habits while he has his little devilish cherub's attention.

"You haven't been attacking my soap bar again, have you, my little Levi?" Eren asks dubiously, eyeing Levi closely to catch any signs of guilt.

Levi seemingly glares at Eren, eyes going exceptionally sharp and his ears flatten back on his head. A soft growl like sound resonates from his chest, and he quickly breaks eye contact with Eren and rests his head on his paws in moody denial.

Eren laughs, tickles the sleek feline behind the ear and gets a soft hiss in response. He has far since come to terms with Levi's strange clean-freak habits, as odd as it may sound for a cat to have such customs, but Eren just accepts it as one of Levi's many quirks. The ones that make Levi special and different from any other cat out there. The ones that make Levi _Levi_.

"You really are a strange one."

Eren says it more to himself, wondering just how he ended up with a cat that is, in every way, embarrassingly more organised and clean than Eren himself.

"Mrow."

A pause.

"Well I guess it's better than living with a filthy cat. One that leaves toys everywhere and spills food and scratches furniture, isn't obsessed with soap bars and the smell of freshly cleaned sheets or sleeps in teapots and drinks their owner's tea when they think they're not looking..." Eren trails off, a suggestive lilt to his voice.

"Mrooow."

"Ouch."

Eren winces as Levi not-so-subtly digs his incredibly sharp claws through Eren's jeans and into his thigh, his eyes closed and body limp in Eren's lap, feigning innocence.

"Touchy," Eren mutters while opening his book, almost sighing in relief when Levi's claws recede.

Eren swears that Levi can understand every word he says. That's the only explanation for his behaviour. He already knows that Levi is smart, but there's so much more to it. This cat may be small for his age and breed, but he has the personality and brain capacity of a human. A highly intelligent, stubborn, bad tempered and profusely hygienic human. Who occasionally likes cuddles and is infatuated with tea.

Eren lets fingertips glide over the hard cover of the old book, enjoying the faint smell of, well, _old book_ , because they always have had that oddly comforting scent. He thumbs it open where a pair of black cat ears peek out of the yellowing pages.

The bookmark was a gift from Petra, the cute veterinarian that Levi went to for his first appointment, also turned out to be a biology teacher at his university.

Levi meows and twitches the tip of his tail under Eren's chin impatiently, tickling his sensitive neck and collarbones all the while. Eren slips the bookmark out from between the yellowing pages and places it on his thigh near Levi's little white front paws.

The black ink on the page is illuminated just enough by the colourful fairy lit Christmas tree, bright colours dancing across the page as Eren shuffles to adjust his position on the seat, making Levi jostle in his putty-like state splayed out on Eren's legs. And of course, the bright crackling flame in the centre of the room provides the necessary light and warmth, it's gentle orange glow creating a halo of flickering gold to form around Levi's shimmering black and white coat.

Eren clears his throat and begins to read out loud, not bothering to suppress a smile when Levi begins to purr softly, the soothing vibrations coursing from Eren's lap and straight to his heart.

Eren is transported back in time, back to around three years ago on a similarly wintery December evening when Levi had just recently become a part of Eren's life. He was young then, just roughly seven months old. Roughed up from living on the streets. The little black and white fuzzball had been quite the handful, always darting underneath sofas and beds whenever Eren entered the room he was in, only eating when Eren wasn't around and hissing and scratching whenever anyone tried to approach him with toys or kindness.

It was nearly Christmas, and the bustle of the streets and people and cold weather and school had zapped Eren's energy. It had been a long day, and he had wanted nothing more than to curl up with a nice book and a cup of hot coco by the fire in his favourite seat while winter raged on outside, leaving him blissfully oblivious to the rest of the world.

He had walked into the living room, hot chocolate in one hand and favourite book in the other, to find Levi curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace. He had looked so at home there, basking in the warmth of the fire, tail flicking from side to side in satisfaction. Eren had edged towards his beloved La-Z-Boy, cautiously creeping closer as to not startle Levi into hiding again, and was pleasantly surprised when all the small yet feisty feline did when he noticed Eren's presence was blink slowly at him, then lay his head back down on his forepaws. From then on Eren had proceeded with care, climbing into the massive recliner clumsily and nearly spilling hot chocolate on himself because his eyes had been locked on the small cat's body. He'd draped his blanket over his shoulders and set his drink down on the small table near the arm of his chair, and it had felt as if his body was on autopilot. All of his attention was focused on the small cat lying just 4 feet away from him. He had proceeded to open his book, and read it brainlessly in a state of shocked bafflement (the good kind), and then suddenly restrained the incredibly tempting urge to shout in triumph.

After a while of reading the same paragraph over and over again, about 13 times to be precise which was the best Eren could do in his dumbfounded state, he had nearly jumped when he peeked over the top of his book to find that Levi was no longer sprawled out by the fire, but was now sitting close to Eren's feet and staring purposefully (and _without_ malice) at him.

At Eren.

_Right at him._

Eren had sat stock still, heart rate quickening and breath long ceased as the young feline stalked closer. He had nearly gasped out loud when the small cat leapt onto the armrest of his big velvety seat, peering curiously at the book in his hands, sniffing and ducking around it with the boundless curiosity of a youth discovering something for the first time. An impossibly fond smile had lit up Eren's face when Levi had batted experimentally at the pages, adorably small white paws patting at and sliding over the old parchment. Levi had given Eren a curious look and his quicksilver eyes wandered to the book once more.

Eren hesitated.

"Should I read it to you?" He'd said, voice soft and low as he was still afraid of startling the cat.

Levi had blinked slowly in response, the tip of his black tail swaying languidly from side to side in an almost hypnotic iteration. As if understanding Eren and telling him to read, Levi'd just curled up on the armrest of the chair and watched Eren expectantly. With calculated movements, Eren had shifted the book in his lap slowly, still wary of spooking Levi, cleared his throat, and began to read out loud.

Eren'd had a fright when the cat lying next to him started to honest-to-god vibrate, making Eren instantly cease his reading and stare at the small creature with cautious inquisitiveness. He had never heard a cat make _that_ kind of noise before. He'd heard meowing, hissing, screeching, and even the unfortunate yowling of two cats going at it in the middle of the night (to his discomfort).

But was this... rapid fire sort of muffled rolling click coming from the small cat even normal? Sounded just like the purring of a sports car's engine. Eren was pretty sure only things with motor engines were supposed to make those kinds of noises.

Eren had decided that Levi seemed alright, if his slowly closing glowing Mercury eyes and still tail curled sweetly around his body was anything to go by, and continued reading. The vibrations had stopped when Levi'd fallen asleep a few minutes later.

After about half an hour, both the cat and Eren were dead to the world curled up on that big spongy chair. After that night, things had been marginally different between cat and owner. Sure, Levi still resisted and hid at the sight of Eren half the time, but occasionally, he would slip into Eren's lap while he was reading his book or watching TV, and even sleep curled up on Eren's pillow next to his head if he was feeling particularly social. And it just got better and better until they became like normal -relatively normal- owner and pet. Eren had later consulted his neighbour, the same person who had put Levi in Eren's care, about the strange vibrating. How Levi seemed to do it when he was sprawled out on Eren's lap or listening to him speak or sing, or sleeping in bed with him. The eccentric woman, Hange, had laughed rather rudely in his face and told him, gasping for breath and wiping away tears of amusement from her eyes and waving off his misplaced concern that it was totally normal for cats to purr, (the name of the somewhat soothing vibrations that were kind of freaking Eren out. And yes! Just like an engine!) and that it was a sign that Levi was happy.

Eren had thought that the woman had finally lost it. Though sure enough, when he looked it up on the Internet, (Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?) Eren found that her explanation was accurate. Eren was glad, then, because if cats purred wen they were happy, and Levi was purring, then he must've been doing _something_ right.

The sound of rolling thunder in the distance and the lack of Levi's soft deep purrs brings Eren out of his déjà vu. He eyes the clock on the mantle piece.

12:34.

His boyfriend Thomas is coming over at eleven tomorrow morning, so he needs to get some rest and go and get his black Kawasaki Ninja 300 from the shop before then.

Eren sighs blearily and slips the cat ear bookmark between the pages where he stopped reading, closes the book softly and sets it on the table by the arm of the his chair. A faint flash of blueish white light draws his attention to his curtain clad window and another bout of thunder rumbles loudly, closer this time. He watches Levi carefully, noting how his head is held high and his ears are facing forward, twitching at every little sound, and that his gunmetal grey eyes are wide and observant even though he had been fast asleep mere seconds ago. His long tail is twitching tensely from side to side. His whole demeanour screams alert and Eren frowns, stroking Levi's silky black back with deft hands in a comforting manner.

Eren knows Levi doesn't like storms. He knows he's not afraid of them, just seems to have a fierce hatred for them. Levi especially doesn't like the sound of thunder, lithe body tensing whenever he hears even the faintest traces of it, but he doesn't mind the rain so much. Eren can't say the same for lighting, but that seems a little better than thunder for Levi anyway. Normally when there's a storm, Eren will sing or read to Levi as he just had, but the storm has come over the house too late for him to do either of those things, so he decides he'll just cuddle Levi to comfort when they get to bed.

Gently slipping a hand under Levi's fluffy white stomach, Eren carefully lifts the cat off his lap and places him on the armrest, smiling when he mews quietly. Then, shrugging out of the blanket, he heaves himself off the comfortable chair and shuffles over to bank the fireplace. He bends down to switch off the cheerfully bright christmas tree lights that threaten to make him dizzy, and isn't surprised when he suddenly feels four small points of pressure on his back, and the slight, almost ticklish sensation of claws through clothing as Levi scales Eren and perches himself lazily on Eren's right shoulder. Levi's tail tickles Eren's left ear as he trudges around the house sleepily, closing doors and switching off lights as he goes. He almost sighs in relief when he reaches his final destination, the bedroom, and closes the door softly behind him. He moves towards the bed while unbuttoning his jeans as Levi leaps off his shoulder and onto the bed and plops himself in the middle of Eren's pillow, conveniently (not particularly for Eren) ignoring the one that Eren doesn't use. Levi is already sleeping by the time Eren has washed for bed, wearing only his boxer briefs as he just _cannot_ be bothered to put on his pyjamas, cold weather be damned.

Eren stares down at Levi, frowning with internal conflict. The cat is still occupying Eren's pillow, which is a problem, and Eren never sleeps on the other side of the bed, a habit since his youth, he always sleeps on the side of the bed closest to the door. He doesn't want to risk waking Levi up again to move him, it's a dangerous course of action and he knows this from experience. But what to do?

 _Cats and their sleep,_ Eren thinks somewhat fondly. It's like two lovers, one never truly leaving the other no matter where they are or what's going on around them. Eren smiles as memories of when Levi was a kitten flood his mind. The young cat would often fall asleep in the strangest places and positions. Eren recalls the first time he found Levi sleeping in a large teapot in one of his kitchen cupboards, tail hanging out of the open top. How he got in there, Eren will never know, but it hasn't stopped him from doing it again. He remembers how shocked he was when he went to make a pot of tea for his sister and best friend, only to find his cat curled up and sound asleep inside of it.

Eren may or may not have made an embarrassingly unmanly noise and nearly dropped the teapot with Levi in it in surprise. Somehow, Levi had slept through it, and Eren just _couldn't_ resist taking a picture (or seven). It's still his screensaver to this day, and Eren's sent the image to at least half of his contacts at one point or another.

Never mind that, though. Back to the task at hand.

Eren sits himself on the bed, crossing his legs and resting his cheek on his fist with his head cocked to one side as he gazes at his beautiful little enigmatic Levi. Eren moves his hand and holds it above Levi so that it is hovering by his black pointy ears, which immediately twitch and flatten against his head. How is that even possible? Isn't he asleep?

Eren watches as Levi's whiskers twitch, and it takes all of Eren's willpower to stop himself from going _'Awww'_.

A loud crack of thunder rattles the windows in their frames, almost directly above the house.

Any sweet thoughts are chased out of Eren's head as suddenly as Levi's eyes fly open and a clawed paw swipes at his suspended hand. Eren yanks it away just in time and escapes unscathed, eyeing Levi like a hawk. Levi sits up and curls his tail around his feet, yawning wide.

"Mow."

"'Mow' yourself. I know that was partially my fault but do you _really_ have to use those claws so much when you know the only one living here apart from you is me?" Eren inquires pleadingly as he pokes Levi's forehead softly in accusation.

Eren chuckles when Levi paws at he spot where he had touched him, then blinks slowly up at Eren with his stunning sleek silver eyes. Levi moves to settle down once more, but Eren is quick to react this time.

"Oh no you don't," He says quickly as he scoops Levi up into his arms, said cat meowing in protest as he does so, and plops him unceremoniously on the other pillow. Levi stands and looks around himself as if he were somewhere he's never been, looking uncomfortable and lost, unsure of what to do with himself in the unfamiliar environment even though it's just another identical pillow. Eren laughs sleepily at his perturbed looking Levi and then pulls the duvet from underneath him. He slips into his warm cocoon, leaving only his head exposed to the deliciously warm air in his room. He reaches out to switch off his bedside lamp, shuffling into a comfortable position on his back and letting his body relax into the mattress after a long, hard day on his feet.

There's a bright flash of lightning, so sharp and white that it illuminates the whole room even through the thick curtains, and thunder roars loudly overhead. Eren turns his head towards Levi, only to find the pillow where he had put him decidedly void of the cat in question. Eren furrows his brows, but doesn't think too much of it. Levi sometimes wants to be alone, and when there are storms, he gets either distant or attention seeking depending on his mood. It wouldn't surprise Eren if he had snuck under the bed.

He jumps, however, when a black tail appears suddenly and swishes in front of his face, lightly bumping his lips and nose. The tail promptly disappears under the covers, and a mound in the duvet near Eren's chest starts moving. Levi's head pokes out from under the duvet, ears straight up and eyes twinkling like stars, beautiful twin galaxies in the semi-darkness of the bedroom.

Turning on his side to fully face Levi and smoothing a hand over his soft back and under his stomach, Eren slowly eases Levi towards his chest until his furry, wiry body is pressed flush against it, and soothingly strokes his head, earning a loud purr.

Levi rolls onto his back and watches Eren expectantly with those shimmering eyes of his, and Eren smiles and glides his fingers over the fuzzy, snow white chest and belly of his cat. A flash of lightning illuminates the room again, indicating an oncoming crack of thunder. It comes a second later, loud and menacing and right above the quiet house.

Levi's whiskers twitch and he stiffens, but doesn't stop purring as Eren mindlessly rubs at his belly and chest, admiring the cat's beauty in the twilight. A hum resonates from Eren's throat soothingly and Levi's purring grows louder at the sound.

As the storm rages on outside, the tired man and feline lie still together, Eren humming a nameless tune that floats around the room with a comforting aura that has the cat sounding his delight constantly, soothing the man spontaneously.

The last thing Eren remembers before he drifts off with a smile playing at his lips, is the deep vibrations resonating from Levi's chest and his warm, furry body pressed against his chest, head tucked under Eren's nose with the sweet scent of vanilla soap and English breakfast tea wafting up from Levi's silken fur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry if tears of agony are streaming down your face from how painfully awful this was to read but just- gimme time and advice and let the senpai-ness flow from your souls and into comments that I dearly hope you'll be posting below. Have patience with the noob. *~*


	2. Family Is Exhausting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa, Eren, Armin and Levi drive to the mororbike shop. 
> 
> Fun, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is long, and not all of it is going to be interesting, but it had to happen. Mostly.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

"Mraaaw."

The first thing Eren hears when he's woken up by a warm fluffy nudge to his cheek. Levi's head.

He decides to just ignore it.

_Maybe if I pretend to be asleep, I'll be left alone to sleep some more._

Haha, nope.

An unapologetic "Mow," is the second thing he hears before something warm presses against his chest from the outside of the duvet, then he gets a thwack to his nose so hard it makes a hollow thumping sound on impact.

"Ooooow," Eren whine-groans in lethargic resignation.

Eren rolls onto his back and grumbles half-heartedly at his selectively demonic cat, yanking the duvet up over his head.

There's another 'Mrow' before something warm and heavy settles on top of Eren's face, effectively cutting off his oxygen supply.

He stays still for a minute, hoping that the cat on his face will lose interest and leave him in peace if he pretends to be dead, but after a while it's pretty clear that Levi has no intention of getting off Eren's face any time soon.

He knows Levi's way too smart, anyway. Eren just finds peace in tricking himself into believing that Levi isn't way more intelligent than Eren is and ever hopes to be.

With an exasperated huff that forces out all the air left in his lungs (not much at all), Eren snakes his hand out from under the duvet and pokes and swats at Levi before losing patience (air) and shoving him from his seat on his head. Eren throws the covers off his face, inhaling deeply and then immediately groaning loudly at the sunlight filtering in through the curtains.

Levi purrs.

Eren turns to send a questioning glance at Levi, who is more often than not content to leave Eren to slumber well into the morning unless he wanted food or Eren had forgotten something. (Now, remember when Eren said Levi was embarrassingly more organised than him? He really meant it, as oftentimes Levi would harass Eren out of bed if he had classes in the morning and wasn't getting up early enough or had something important to do that day. How Levi understood the concept of appointments is still one of the greatest mysteries of the universe).

"Mow."

Well, not getting any answers from him, Eren supposes.

It's Saturday, so there's no school.

Something important...

Eren continues gazing at Levi curiously, the tip of the cat's tail twitching ever so slightly behind him as he stares intensely back at Eren, almost as if trying to convey a message or something solely through eye contact.

A loud honk in Eren's driveway makes Levi jump comically high in the air in surprise, and if Eren hadn't jumped out of his skin as Levi had, he probably would have laughed at Levi's reaction.

Instead, the disgruntled brunet stumbles out of bed and towards his window in a bleary rage, yanking the thick cream curtain away from the window almost violently and glaring daggers at whomever had disturbed him from his peaceful morning.

Levi jumps up onto the windowsill, tail and chin held high as Eren stares at his sister's-Mikasa's White Toyota RAV4 in sleep clouded bafflement. Levi looks too smug, Eren muses, and he ruffles the fur on Levi's head to tame Levi's raging ego, then narrowly avoids a paw of razor sharp claws to the face.

"Mrow." Levi meows loudly. He blinks up at Eren, whiskers twitching as he stands and stares.

"What... Did I say to her? What's going on?" Eren grumbles confusedly, voice rough and deep with sleep. Levi shamelessly croons at the sound, and the young man takes his cat into his arms, still wary of getting swiped at. When Levi shows no immediate signs of hostility, Eren drapes him over his bare shoulder, where he twists back and flops down comfortably. Eren pads through the house and to the front door in nothing but boxers. If it's Mikasa, he doesn't really care. She's seen him naked enough times, be it by barging in on him by accident or Eren just not giving a fuck about modesty and prancing around the house buck naked, that he no longer feels self conscious around his adoptive sister. He's pretty sure she's into girls, anyway, if the way she ogles Annie is anything to go by.

Plus, Eren is _ripped_. He can't show it off to strangers so his sister will have to deal with Eren's shamelessness.

Levi's snowy white paws rest over Eren's collarbone and his tail swishes to and fro behind his golden brown back, making the man shiver whenever the featherlight glances of soft fur dance over his sensitive skin.

Obnoxious knocking at the wooden front door to Eren's house spurs him to move faster towards it. He reaches up to place a steadying hand on Levi's back as he slides down Eren's shoulder and onto his chest slightly, considerately not digging his claws into Eren's tan skin. He hurries to the door and unlocks it with fast, fluid movements. As soon as the lock clicks undone he all but throws the annoying slab of wood back, biting back a hiss at the icy cold chill that rushes through the door and onto his mostly naked body. It stings and seeps into his flesh, all the way down to the bone.

"Was willst du?" Eren snaps angrily.

He reverts to his native tongue to talk to his sister, who apparently thinks it's a good idea to wake Eren up on a weekend at some ungodly hour in the morning.

_Does she not understand the concept of 'sleeping in'?_

Mikasa simply rolls her eyes in exasperation and pulls the red scarf (once property of Eren) that covers the lower half of her face down under her chin as to not sound muffled when she speaks.

"Dir auch einen guten Morgen, Bruder. And good morning, Levi." She moodily huffs out the first greeting, but her tone gentles significantly at the second.

Levi, still lying comfortably on Eren's shoulder, meows in response, and Mikasa's eyes linger on the feline for a few seconds longer than strictly necessary. Mikasa had always mentioned how she thought that Eren and Levi are physically joined somehow, their skin and flesh fused together as they never part from each other. Eren guesses she has a point.

"Hast du was gegen das Tragen von Kleidung, Eren?" Mikasa questions, raising her eyebrows sceptically at her brother's excessive show of skin.

Eren just scowls in drowsy annoyance.

"What time is it? Is it even ten yet?" Eren grumbles as Mikasa steps into the house and ushers Eren out of the doorway.

"Eren, if it were ten right now, I would be seriously worried if I were you," Mikasa calls to him matter-of-factly, and Eren freezes in the doorway to his bedroom.

"Um." Is the best he can come up with.

Eloquent.

Mikasa tuts in disappointment at her brother's ridiculously poor ability to function in the morning before consuming any caffeine, and Levi slips (literally just jumps right off. Eren's only recently stopped getting surprised at felines' abnormally incredible parkour abilities) off of Eren's shoulder and trots off towards the open front door.

"Watch him, Mika. The neighbours have been complaining about Levi terrorising poor Betty." Eren says, struggling to pull a thick forest green jumper over his head, then clucking and calling to Levi in an attempt to draw him back into the bedroom.

"Betty?" Mikasa calls back to Eren disbelievingly.

"You mean the Dane? Betty the Great Dane? You can't be talking about that Betty, right?"

Eren sniggers around his toothbrush at Mikasa's uncharacteristic bewilderment, and he soon jogs into the living room, zipping up his faded black ripped jeans to where she waits and Levi sits by the now closed door waiting to be let out, tail swishing to and fro as his ears perk and twitch with every little sound.

"Du machst wohl scherze..." Mikasa mutters.

Eren jerks to a halt as he sights Mikasa moving to open the door again.

"Wait."

A pause.

"Where are we going? I still don't know why you're here," Eren says, unembarrassed at his complete lack of recollection of what he's meant to do today.

"How could you forget, Eren? Let's just say your garage is kind of void of a certain-"

Eren is suddenly hit with his plans for the morning.

"Scheiße! I completely forgot! And Thomas! Scheisse! Holy fucking shit-sticks Levi we gotta go get the bike! The bike, Levi, come on," Eren calls hurriedly as Levi loyally trots over to a bustling Eren and allows himself to be scooped up and cradled. Mikasa rolls her eyes and starts for the door.

Eren hastily grabs his leather riding jacket, keys, leather gloves and helmet, slips on a pair of black leather lace-up boots without bothering to do them up and dashes for the slightly ajar door after Mikasa. He almost forgets to lock it behind him and nearly drops poor Levi in the process.

The slender feline slips from Eren's full arms and struts down the drive towards Mikasa's sleek white car, elegantly leaping through the open door before Mikasa shuts it and promptly disappearing from view.

Eren trusts Levi enough to let him wander outside on his own without getting killed or lost, he is strong and intelligent and has no trouble defending himself against an attacker, human or animal, if need be, though he knows Levi is smart enough to avoid these things. Plus, it's common knowledge that he's more street smart than Eren could ever dream to be.

Eren finally scrambles into the back of the car, all but throwing his belongings on the seat next to him and slouching as much as the space between his seat and the one in front allows. Levi hops into Eren's lap and peers out the window.

"Took you long enough, Eren!" Teases a snickering blond in the passenger seat. He is petit and fair, with honest yet analysing cornflower blue eyes and a shimmering gold bowl cut that almost reaches his shoulders.

Armin Arlert. Eren's best friend.

Eren huffs, the airy sound morphing into a desperate whine as he squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose. Levi spares his precious window view in favour of checking to see if his human is alright or simply over exaggerating as he normally does. Eren scratches behind Levi's ear with a small smile, and Levi turns back to the window with a loud rolling purr.

"I'm sorry guys, I totally forgot about Thomas and that I asked you to drive me to Kawasaki this morning," Eren groans.

"That you did, sleeping beauty," Sasses Armin.

He may be the smallest of the trio, but he is the most outgoing of them all. Yet somehow, he manages to be the shyest out of the three at the same time though. Eren has never quite been able to understand... He chalks it up to the fact that Armin's just way more comfortable being completely himself in front of Eren and Mikasa and their friends than people he doesn't know so well.

"My most sincere apologies, your Lordship! Oh what would I do without thou glorious presence by my side each day, oh small, blond and mighty one?" Eren sings theatrically, earning a chuckle from both Mikasa and Armin.

But there's a truth to his words. They make an odd trio, one small, fair and blond, physically delicate and ridiculously ingenious, one average height and build, introverted, frighteningly strong and fiercely protective Asian, and one tall (though he'd shared his hight with Mikasa before a massive growth spurt gave him a good head on her), bronze skinned, bright eyed, hot headed Levi fanatic.

What a bunch.

But they are perfect for each other. One could not function without the other two, and two could not function without a missing one. Well, for Eren it would always be Armin, Mikasa and Levi, but other than that it's more or less the same.

"I was so tired last night, and then there was that storm and Levi was a little restless. And I guess between work and school and the weather and everything else it just kinda... Slipped..." Eren trails off.

Mikasa frowns.

"You're seeing Thomas today, so is he coming to the house?" Armin asks before Mikasa fits in a rant about Eren getting appropriate amounts of sleep and not working himself too hard like they all know she was going to.

Eren sighs heavily, losing his fingers in Levi's soft fur as he stares at him, watching fondly as he takes in the scenery whizzing past as they speed along the road, head turning back occasionally whenever they drive past anything particularly interesting or unusual.

"Mhm. The house," Eren mumbles distractedly.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? Remember what happened the last time you brought a lov-"

"Ssshhh!" Eren hisses urgently, clamping his hands over Levi's ears in an attempt to prevent him from hearing the word that had nearly escaped from Armin's lips, suddenly paying attention.

"Don't say it! He'll get freaky and guard the door all week," Eren orders as he allows Levi to duck and twist out of his sudden grasp. He pretends to ignore the knowing look shared between his sister and friend and resists the urge to sigh again.

"Why did you even bring him, Eren?" Mikasa questions incredulously.

But Eren doesn't acknowledge it.

Instead, Eren gets distracted and snorts when Levi's head snaps back as his eyes try to stay on the admittedly amusing sight of a dog being quite literally dragged against its will on its back down the sidewalk, its owner looking fed up and exhausted, almost stumbling along trying to drag the dead weight of the reluctant canine by the leash.

Thank _god_ Levi likes the outdoors, Eren thinks to himself.

"Eren."

"Huh? Was?"

Mikasa rolls her eyes and Armin chuckles in amusement at his friends inability to focus.

"Haven't had my coffee yet. Don't judge," Eren grumbles defensively.

"Ja ja, jedenfalls, Levi-"

"Uuggghhh I don't care what you have to sayyyy-"

Mikasa levels Eren with a stern look via the rear view mirror.

" _Levi_. Why did you bring him with you? And really, what are you going to do about Thomas? Levi is smart and you know it. It's practically impossible to lock him in a room and open it again to find him still there," Mikasa reasons, and Armin nods in agreement.

Eren thinks about what his closest friends say, running his hand over Levi's black and white fur.

"I'll... Find a way. It'll be okay. And I brought him because you know how much he loves riding with me. Plus, there would be no one at home and it would be boring for him, and no one would look after him or-"

"Eren, he has more independence than you ever will. Please, don't try to convince yourself otherwise." Mikasa states bluntly. Armin's bobs his head in agreement.

Thanks, _best friend._ Thanks.

Eren pouts, the sight making Armin smile.

"Aw, don't look at me like that! Big guy slumped in the backseat with that expression, it's too contradictory! Your 'innocent little boy trapped in a man's body' is showing. I'll start to feel guilty," Armin teases, laughing jovially.

Eren does _not_ find it funny.

In fact, Eren wants his friends to just shut up and leave him alone, so he reaches between the front seats, catching Levi and placing him on the seat next to him before he slips off his lap, and turns on the radio, rapidly flicking through stations to find something half decent.

"Aha!" He cheers as he stops on Enrique Iglesias' 'bailando', crashing back into his seat with a smile while air guitaring the intro animatedly. Armin turns up the volume and settles into his seat comfortably, and even Mikasa seems to ease down a little, preparing for the show.

Eren's always been fond of music. Singing in particular. The amount of times that he and his father have argued about Eren's father wanting Eren's career to be medical and not musical borders on pathetic. Eren wouldn't have fought if he thought his father didn't actually believe he had a chance at being a singer. That's why it's such a battle for him, his father really did appreciate his talent as a musician, but believed that it was an inappropriate job for Eren. Grisha Jaeger, being one of the worlds most successful surgeons world-wide, would _obviously_ feel this way. Eren hates how immature this sounds, but he'd so much rather be happy with his profession and have just a comfortable lifestyle than be miserable waking up everyday to go to a job he didn't enjoy, even if it left him rolling in riches. Though, if he played his cards right with his music, he could become pretty loaded, though that's not what it's about. It's not that Eren doesn't like the idea of being a medic, actually finds the medical field intriguing, and it's not as if he's opposed to being rich. He appreciates that there are less fortunate people who would scramble for the opportunities that Eren has if given the chance, but he just wants happiness. And music. He just can't _be_ without music.

Did Eren also mention that he's sort of already organised a gig at a venue that holds 500 people and the tickets sold out within 3 hours of opening booths in the local mall? So... Eren's performed in cafés and bars and stuff before, but he didn't really expect to be so popular.

Turns out, he kind of is. life is good.

Levi jumps and paws at Eren's flailing hands as they swoop over his head and slips onto Eren's lap once again, laying down so that his body is in the dip where the length of Eren's thighs press against each other, his head by Eren's stomach and tail swishing lazily between Eren's shins.

Eren sings passionately, not holding anything back in front of his friends, and it's not like all three others in the car have never heard Eren sing his heart out like this before. Especially Levi. Eren matches Enrique word for word, even though he's singing pretty fast _and_ in fluent Spanish, Eren does what he thinks is an exceptional job of keeping up and sounding okay at the same time. okay so maybe he makes up a couple words but _whatever._

Any thoughts swirling around in Mikasa and Armin's heads are halted as Eren lets his voice flow from his very core. He's been told he has that kind of effect on people, the ability to make them stop what they're doing and listen to his voice, forgetting about the world around them and solely focusing on the music. That's the one thing Eren really enjoys about it, spreading the spirit, making more people listen and _enjoy_ it because it's such a wonderful thing to experience. It has helped Eren through so many stressful times, lulled him to sleep on so many tireless nights, helped him to move forwards when he felt only like being dragged backwards. And have you ever had an eargasm before? The feeling of warmth and tingling spreading from your chest and into your throat and limbs and head and invading your senses until it's all around you, until it _is_ you. That's what Eren wants to be able to do with _his_ music. For people to get that horrendously excited bubbly feeling from _his_ songs. That is what Eren lives for.

It's the only reason why dreams of being a musician, after the fact that he loves music and singing to an incomparable extent. And yeah, the reasoning is kind of corny, a little cliche, but it's true.

Eren begins to dance in earnest (as if he wasn't before), movements comically wild yet professionally smooth even in the confined space of the backseat of the Toyota. Levi jumps up, startled by the sudden movements and then boldly props his front paws on Eren's chest, staring straight at Eren with clear curiosity and confusion as he moves about boisterously. His movements slow to accommodate Levi's position though, of course.

After a few seconds of belting out rapid Spanish while staring into a pair of exasperated quicksilvers, Eren deems it (barely) safe to hold levi.

Eren grabs Levi under the arms and lifts him off his lap, swinging him jovially as he sings and jumps about in his seat, pretending to dance with his now quietly bristling cat. Eren keeps his eyes glued to Levi's and his smile never fades as he frolics with Levi and makes him dance about playfully. He's quite lost in his own world with Levi until the song quietens down slightly and the sound of breathless guffaws and heaves of laughter registers in his ears. He looks up to find Armin curled up in bouts of hysterics, while Mikasa openly laughs at her brother's antics, trying to keep her eyes on the road in the meantime.

Eren joins them in their laughter until Levi sounds out his dismay, low and sinister, and presses his (very clawed) back paws and lower hind legs against Eren's chest in an attempt to put some distance between himself and the chuckling man.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry sorry sorry!" Eren repeats profusely to Levi as he sets his precious cat down on the seat next to him, feeling guilty for jerking him about so much knowing how Levi hates to even be held. He's being very good about it though, Eren thinks. He isn't hissing or swatting, and his mannerism is relaxed and he isn't posturing.

It's been a long time since he was introduced to Eren. Sometimes he forgets how much time has flown by, and how much progress he's made with his feline companion.

The thought causes a goofy smile to split Eren's face, and he reaches over to pet Levi, scratching behind his ears and under his chin, then gently caressing his back.

Eren begins to sing along to the familiar tune once more, though much softer and with marginally less dancing this time, and beams when Levi purrs almost obnoxiously loudly and curles up against Eren's thigh.

 

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Tu me miras y me llevas a otra dimensión_  
Tu latidos aceleran a mi corazón  
Que ironía del destino no poder tocarte  
Abrazarte y sentir la magia de tu olor

Eren sings as he watches Levi, the small feline catching his eye and holding it with his own mesmerising Mercury gaze. Levi blinks slowly up at him, and Eren smiles, ignoring the muffled guffawing and obnoxious cooing and smoochy kissing noises his immature friends are spewing.

"Hey, Eren, does- hah, does he still get mad when- Does he still hate it when you call people 'babe'?" The blond questions with curious amusement, all but dissolving into fits of childish giggles.

Mikasa, on the other hand, suddenly looks sort of... constipated. Her shoulders are stiff and tense, back ramrod straight, face a conflicted mixture of intense amusement and eternally pissed off, from what Eren can see in her reflection in the rear view mirror, anyway. Mikasa hates this subject.

It's great. Hilarious, actually. Eren has half the mind to whip his phone out and take a picture.

Back to Armin's question, though. Eren catches his eye as the small blond twists round in his seat to face Eren, who sends him a subtle smirk then shifts his eyes towards Levi, who's already lifted his head at the word.

"I dunno, why don't we find out, b-"

"DON'T! Don't you _dare_ say it, in _this_ car, with _that_  cat, to _me!_ " Armin hisses, dead serious, eyes wide and threatening.

"......"

_"Babe."_

Eren feels like the devil. He's probably an incarnate or something. He loves his friends, but this was too funny the last time it happened, and he would gladly do it again to witness the fun once more.

And what _fun_ indeed.

 _"Mrooowwwww,"_ Levi sounds livid.

Eren feels a pang of guilt for Armin momentarily. _Momentarily_.

Then all hell breaks lose when Armin hesitantly blows Eren a kiss.

Okay, _that_  is totally on Armin. All his fault.

Levi hisses threateningly, back arched and ears flat against his head, and before anyone knows what's happening Levi is a black and white blur flying at Armin. Te blond lets out an unmanly squeak when Levi lands on his lap with the grace of a stealthy predator stalking its prey.

Mikasa barks out a laugh and struggles to keep her eyes on the road as the blond in the seat next to her squirms and squeals his discomfort at Levi in his lap. Eren is breathless, sliding down his seat, hearty laughs wrack his form as he watches the havoc unfold in front of him. He knows Levi would never harm Armin, the cat is actually quite fond of the blond. It's the same with Mikasa, thought the relationship between his sister and cat is a little bit more... Formal, per se.

"Nice kitty, _niiiice_ kitty, c'mon Levi, it was a joke! Just a silly joke... Eren's just my friend! Just a friend..." Armin tries to convince the posturing, swatting cat in his lap, letting out a small squeak of surprise when Levi's paw swipes a fraction of an inch away from his nose.

"Sorry, Ar, Levi's my only babe. Can't have two, man. C'mere, babe, come back to daddy," Eren coos.

Levi looks Eren's way. Then, giving Armin a final look and a small 'Mow', he hops into the back once more and jumps into Eren's lap. He doesn't lie down though, or even sit himself in a comfortable position. Just stares up at Eren with his usual, unimpressed, hooded gaze.

Suddenly, a white paw flies out and catches Eren across the cheek. Hard.

Seemingly satisfied, Levi curls up in Eren's lap, head held high and tail waving from side to side languidly.

Eren, to say the least, had not been prepared for the blow to the face. He holds his cheek tenderly and looks down at the cat in his lap with a pitifully hurt expression. He pouts at Levi, hoping his eyes convey the sense of betrayal he feels.

"That hurt, what the hell, Levi?!"

"I swear to god you're like an old married couple, you two." Mikasa huffs out, shaking her head exasperatedly. Armin nods along in agreement to her words.

"You treat him good, Eren, or I'll come get you! Even though Levi is more than perfectly capable of taking care of himself... Yeah okay never mind. I'd just support you from the sidelines," Armin trails off after a little bit of thinking.

Eren harrumphs sulkily at the cat sitting in his lap, hand still cradling his sore cheek.

"Meanie," He whispers. But he knows why Levi did it anyway: Eren was being kind of a dick...

He gets no response from Levi. Eren sighs forlornly.

He just got scolded by his cat. And yes. It's a regular occurrence. 

"I think you guys are missing out one important detail," Eren says, voice now holding volume for his friends to hear.

"Levi's a cat. Stop teasing." Eren huffs.

Mikasa raises an eyebrow at him in the rear view mirror and Armin just frowns thoughtfully. Almost... almost as if he's actually contemplating whether Levi really is just a cat or not.

_Really?_

The guy's a certified genius, but sometimes Eren thinks he's one of those really weird, social outcast kind of geniuses. But maybe not. Armin somehow befriended the CEO of the worlds most poplar social network sight, for crying out loud. How he managed to approach that burly blond guy Eren will never know. But since Erwin's become friends with Armin, and since Armin's favourite place to be is Eren's house, he's been getting pretty friendly with Erwin as well. The CEO of freaking Survey Corps.

How the fuck did that even happen?

_Anyways._

"To be honest," Mikasa starts quietly, "I'd literally rather you were in a relationship with Levi than that Thomas guy. I don't like him. One. Bit." Mikasa finishes sternly.

Armin sighs.

"I'm going to have to agree with Mikasa. Some of the things people've said he's done to his partners in the past... It's really bad, Eren. He's abusing your kindness. You're too nice and he's taking advantage of your hotheaded naïvety," Armin concludes, his voice is sad but firm, and Eren knows he's lost this battle.

Technically, he was on his friends' side anyway, but, you know.

He knows that his friends would never force him to do or not do anything he didn't want to. And he is very appreciative of that. But it doesn't mean they don't guilt trip, persuade, and badger him with unmatchably intense persistence until he changes his mind if they believe he has no control over a situation and things start getting too bad. Eren knows that all his friends do is care and worry for him, doing everything they can in Eren's best interest.

"Mrow," Levi shifts about in Eren's lap.

Eren looks down to find Levi lying on his back, baring his white belly and neck as he swats at the key dangling from Eren's neck gently. It must have come out from the neck of his jumper when he was goofing around to that song.

Eren runs a hand down Levi's soft fluffy stomach, fingers getting lost in his luscious snowy fur and Levi purr-mews endearingly, the rumbling sending a muted joy singing through Eren's veins.

"You sure have a nasty right hook, mister," Eren mutters at the seemingly innocent fuzzball in his lap.

"Mow. Mooow."

Levi looks Eren in the eye and his paw hooks through the leather cord of his necklace. Levi pulls at the key around his neck and draws Eren's face down towards his, forcing their gazes to stay glued together. Levi pulls until his human is bent over him almost in half, staring straight into Levi's incredible stormy eyes.

The car is quiet, save for the quiet sound of a bass thumping away to a piece of house on the radio and Levi's rich purring, floating through the vehicle like a calming incense and making the muscles in Mikasa's shoulders visibly relax and Armin slump in his chair.

Levi bats at Eren's shaggy brown bangs, his white paws stark contrast to black forearms. Eren thinks it's sweet, like four little black socks or something, one on each paw.

_Screw that, it's goddamn adorable._

After a while of staring at Levi's snout, sweet little pink nose and twitchy whiskers, Eren's thoughts drift towards Thomas. He could only ignore his friends incessant warnings for so long before they started to hit home.

At first glance, Thomas seems like an average guy. Average build, shorter than Eren, pale skin, short blond hair, average face, pretty normal personality and lifestyle. On the outside, anyway.

Eren guesses he's just attracted to 'average' because of all the shit he went through in his youth. He's learned that sometimes (always), it's better to be safe than sorry. Go with normal. Though he'd say his 'type' would probably be badass, he likes to keep his dreams on a tight leash.

Thomas does have a history though, and, though his friends overlook it sometimes Eren is pretty bright (At least that's what his teachers have told him). He also has pretty good instincts. Not comparable to Sasha's, but still pretty good. He knows Thomas is not right for him, but he saw a vulnerability in Thomas when he came to Eren, suffering and heartbroken, and Eren had felt pity for him and had taken care of his broken heart. Nurtured it until it was fixed and strong. But now that it's strong, it doesn't need Eren anymore, and therefore he doesn't strictly need to be with Eren any longer. But still, Thomas would find ways to stick to Eren, either the man would complain about not having enough money, bringing up the fact that Eren is well off considering his Father's (Grisha had fled without warning or explanation the night Carla was murdered, but later returned with a mostly valid explanation. Sure, Mikasa and Eren still haven't fully forgiven him for abandoning them, but they can at least understand why their father would do it) job and Eren's... Musical side profession, or maybe he's 'feeling down,' and he 'needs someone to love him because he has no one'. Some bullshit like that.

Eren knows that Thomas' relationship with his family is a little more than strained, and he knows he has few friends. But he also knows that Thomas doesn't have many 'real' friends because of how he uses people. But more than anything, Eren knows what it's really like to have no one. To be completely alone.

It was just after his mother had died. His father had run off, and Eren was angry and sad and confused at the world. But he had Mikasa, at least. Armin was away, attending his grandfathers funeral at the time.

Then, Mikasa went missing.

Kidnapped.

By the same _filthy, despicable brutes_ who had killed his mother. It took three days without sleep or food, a young, filthy, hungry child running around the dirtiest, sleaziest parts of town, _three days._ And three days after no food or sleep or shelter, Eren found Mikasa. He found her with three men, tied up and bloodied on the floor of a small wooden cabin in the woods near the town.

Three days after his sister went missing, Eren killed two men, Mikasa one, and he'd marched out of that cabin with his sister in his arms and a steely resolve permanently fixed to them both. He became stronger, but often nearly stressed himself into a state of comatose trying to sort out their lives and protect Mikasa. It took him a while to realise that Mikasa was more than capable of taking care of herself.

So.

If his best friends are getting worried by this point, then his relationship with Thomas is not going to work. Eren is already pretty sharp, and he knows what's going on and he's not really up for it. At all.

Eren groans in exhaustion, mushing his face into Levi's fuzzy white stomach, inhaling deeply as the usual scent of vanilla, and traces of Eren himself, greets his nose. A wave of complete comfort and ease washes over him as he feels the soft warmth of Levi's paws and forearms through his hair and on his scalp, seemingly brushing repeatedly over his hair. Eren could just forget all his troubles and snuggle with Levi for the rest of his life and be perfectly content. Just revel in the soothing vibrations of Levi's happy purrs. The car jerks to a stop a second later and Mikasa clears her throat purposefully.

With another groan muffled by Levi's fur, Eren lifts his upper body and dry washes his face. Levi quickly rightens himself in Eren's lap and peers out the window curiously. The sight of multiple motorcycles and riders makes Levi's ears perk and his whiskers twitch in anticipation. He licks his lips and stands on his hind legs with his front paws on the window. He presses his head to the surface, as if trying to get as close to the bikes from inside the car as possible.

"Eren..." Mikasa starts, but Eren doesn't let her finish.

"Thanks. Both of you, really," He says suddenly. Armin twists in his seat and fixes him with a sceptical expression. Mikasa just frowns, not used to the legitimacy in his voice when discussing things such as miserably failing relationships.

But now Eren's being totally genuine, because he really _is_ grateful for his friends' support and concern. He just wants them to see that he can analyse shitty situations before they get _too_ shitty and sort it out for himself with as little drama as possible. (He's always hated overdramatic people. This immediately makes him question himself about ever agreeing to date Thomas. The guy practically _cries_ whenever Eren agreed to do something as insignificant as buy him a drink.)

"Your harassment and pestering has actually made me really see how stupid this relationship, if you can even call it that, is. So thanks," Eren says, slight smile tugging at his lips when Armin and Mikasa make faces at the words 'harassment' and 'pestering'.

"Mraw," Levi gazes at Eren.

Eren stares back into the bottomless depths of Levi's quicksilver grey's and mentally makes a confirmation.

"Yeah..." Eren whispers.

"Eren? What?" Mikasa's inquiring voice snaps Eren out of his short stupor.

"Huh? Nothing. Well. Not nothing. I'm gonna break it off with him today when he comes over. I'm sick of his leeching and he's a complete waste of my time," Eren says, finality set in his voice.

Mikasa hums and sends a small smile at Eren in the rear view mirror, and Armin whoops, then settles in his seat with a content expression and murmurs a quiet 'fucking finally...' to everyone's amusement. Levi vocalises his eagerness to be let free of the confines of the car. Eren quickly does up his boot laces and pulls on the door handle, smiling to himself as Levi gracefully climbs onto his perch on his shoulder.

"See you, Eren. Don't let Levi kill Thomas, please, or he'll have to be put down," Armin says with complete seriousness.

It's warning enough to make Eren scowl, and he raises a protective hand up to run down Levi's back soothingly. He won't let anyone go near his Levi with bad intentions of any kind. Anyone who dares to do so will have to go through him. Plus, Levi is a badass and he can protect himself better than anyone could ever protect him. Eren finds peace in these thoughts.

"Don't worry, he's not gonna kill anyone. If he does though, they probably deserve it," Eren concludes, sending Levi a wan smile and a wink in a slightly worried looking Mikasa's direction. Armin simply smiles knowingly and huffs out an exasperated breath.

"Get out, Eren, or you'll not get home in time," Mikasa chides as Eren chuckles, grabbing his belongings before finally pulling the handle and swinging the car door open.

He sighs in the frigid air that hits him immediately after. Levi curls himself around Eren's neck, a perfect makeshift scarf.

"Thanks again guys, I'll see you soon?" Eren questions, closing his door and peering through Mikasa's open window.

"Sure thing. Good luck with Thomas and Levi not killing him, you might need it," Armin chuckles and Mikasa nods her agreement, pulling her scarf up over her nose in a feeble attempt to fend off the cold seeping into the car.

Eren pulls a face at his friends.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Love you. Bye." Eren bids his farewells, waving nonchalantly as his friends chorus 'love you too's' and 'see you soon's' at his retreating back.

 

 

Eren inhales the cold December air as he strides to the large glass building, lets it fill his lungs like gaseous ice and clear his mind with its sharpness. He can't help but feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and he leans his head to nuzzle Levi's cheek with his own. Eren's chest floods with warmth when Levi softly returns the gesture. He smiles into Levi's neck.

_We got this._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be way more plot, not just Eren & Co. taking a drive, I promise. This was just kind of lots of information. Well, it's out of the way now, right?! Sorryyyy, I tried to make it a little better with the random chunks of fluff that squeezed itself in there. :D
> 
> Also, this was posted in roughly two minutes with no editing! So please point out any mistakes and sorry but I don't have time for translations, but I figured if you have Internet to load this chapter, then you have Internet to go to google translate lol the amount of sorry that I am rn


	3. Storm before the calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi doesn’t like being told what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi... guess I owe you guys a huge apology for abandoning this fic for so long, and honestly I feel so guilty. There’s no way to say this without sounding melodramatic, but my entire life was turned upside down last year and something that I could never have expected happened, and it’s been really hard for me, and the journey I’ve been on has been arduous and incredibly difficult but honestly it’s only just beginning. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is short, but I’ll hopefully be able to update more frequently now that my life has a semblance of order in it, hah. I just need something to get the ball rolling again I guess, and why not start here.

Eren gives up fighting down a grin at Levi's unusual but not at all unappreciated friendliness and pushes open the heavy glass doors into the warm, familiar Kawasaki shop. He scratches Levi's head with his index finger distractedly when he feels whiskers twitching against his cheek. Levi has taken up the profession of a neck pillow, apparently, because he's wrapped around Eren's neck quite comfortably with his front paws down by Eren’s right pectoral and his tail hanging down past his left, making the collar of Eren's leather jacket a makeshift backrest for himself.

"Eren. Good to see you again. Levi, how are you guys doing?" The shop manager calls out, familiar man smiling and waving.

"Hey, Hannes. We're fine. My bike good to go? I'm in a bit of a rush," Eren smiles bashfully at his almost rude curtness as he moves to embrace the man. Hannes tuts, but wraps his arms tightly around Eren, then affectionately scratches Levi's head, who purrs quietly at the gesture. Oddly enough, Levi is okay with Hannes hugging and showing affection towards Eren, much unlike how he behaves with any of Eren's other friends apart from Mikasa, Armin and Petra.

Hannes had been Eren and Mikasa's parental figure when they had had no one to depend on all those years ago, before their father had come back into the picture. The man currently standing before Eren had sacrificed so much just to give Eren and his sister a chance to continue living a normal life. Eren could never repay him sufficiently.

Eren is in and out of the shop in a flash, gearing up and settling Levi on the front of the sleek black bike before speeding off, the phantom whisper of Hannes' frantic yet knowing _'If you kill yourself on that bike I'll never forgive you or myself!'_ just a vague memory in the back of Eren's mind as his eyes are drawn to Levi's lithe body perched on the centre of the handlebars, cold wind ruffling his fur. He loves it. Eren loves it. It's perfect.

But it's over all too soon, the euphoric feeling of icy gusts and speed and the exhilaration, of the combination of the two, plus the underlying sense of pure _badassery_. And sure, he gets some strange looks because of Levi, but they're never the bad kind of strange. The attention is also a pretty neat way of self advertising if he can get someone to roll down their window to chat with him and ask him questions, which many do. Particularly very loud, very obnoxious and very flirtatious teenagers.

Well.

They're probably the ones who bought all the tickets for his gig this weekend, so it's not like he can complain.

Still, all too soon, Eren's driving his bike up the driveway and into the garage, cooing at Levi's little mews of protest as he tries to lift his precious cat off the bike. It's much like trying to pry a stubborn tooth from someone's mouth.

"C'mon Levi, I'll take you out for a ride again soon, don't worry," Eren tries. Levi looks up at him, question swirling in his distracting Mercury eyes.

"Mrew?" Eren truly believes the sound deserves to be portrayed as a question.

"Yes, I promise, if you're good and you come with me now I'll take you on a ride whenever you want. So let's go, please?"

Levi hisses at Eren as he tries pull him away from the bike, then elegantly leaps off with a soft mew that makes the man's heart flip-flop. Eren opens the door, tripping to a halt as Levi saunters in front of him.

“Aristocat much,” Eren murmurs with a smile as he dumps his helmet and keys onto the kitchen island, then shrugs off his jacket, hanging it on a coat stand by the door and all but collapsing to undo his boots. Levi takes the opportunity to settle himself over one of Eren's boots as he wrestles to remove the other. He looks down at him when he finally manages to take off the boot, then lowers a hand to try and usher Levi off his shoe.

The small feline swats at his hand playfully, perched with Eren's boot between his legs and sitting on the shoe in an entirely human fashion, (dangerously adorable) with his forepaws supporting him on Eren's shin, tail swaying to and fro languidly. Eren yanks the appendage back. Levi is cute and fun to play with, but his claws are sharp as fuck and you do _not_ want to be on the wrong end of them no matter what Levi's intentions are.

"Mraaaw."

Levi flops onto his back over Eren's boot, spine arching at an uncomfortable looking angle, but the feline couldn't look happier, thick purrs, the sound of a tiny Porsche's engine rumbling from his chest. Beautiful, smooth, rich and all round pleasant.

"Babe, your adorableness is a health hazard. I might die from a cuteness overload if you keep doing that. I know you're doing it on purpose," Eren smiles fondly as Levi tilts his head, squishing his ear flat between his head and the floor in his upside-down position, front paws curled up to his chest, hind legs folded flat against his stomach and tail curling around nothing on the floor.

"Mow."

_The literal fucking epitome of adorable._

Eren inhales deeply and wills himself not to gush.

When he’s done cooing and making what he thinks are probably pathetically whipped faces at Levi, Eren glances at the clock on the wall opposite him, hanging over the shoe rack, and curses quietly.

"How about you sleep now, babe, cuz I've got to do something here in the kitchen involving mess, and we all know how much you love mess," Eren tries, Levi finally twists himself around and rolls off Eren's boot to lie next to it on his stomach. Eren chuckles at Levi's silly behaviour and unties his shoelaces without actually looking at them, unable to take his eyes away from Levi's gunmetal stare.

"I'll let you sleep on my pillow, how does that sound?" Eren yanks off his boot and sits looking at Levi with his legs crossed beneath him, folding his arms over his chest and gazing at his cat waiting for an answer.

Genuinely waiting for a cat to answer his question.

"Mmmmroww." It's a satisfied sounding rolling half purr-half mew, so Eren takes it as a yes when Levi trots off towards Eren's room.

It's actually Levi's room, but Eren likes to believe that in this house that he pays for, at least one room belongs to him.

None do, really. He knows. Levi knows he knows. He's given up caring, and trying.

Eren trails after Levi, nearly stepping on him when he stops suddenly in the doorway of Eren's (Levi's) bedroom. His tail starts twitching, swaying back and forth, tip flicking this way and that. Levi twists around, turning his sleek, judgmental eyes to Eren.

"Mraw."

"What?"

_"Mrow."_

Levi turns around completely and sits, eyes still trained intensely on Eren. He wills himself not to start sweating under that soul-piercing stare, praying to the Gods that he's never before given a shit about that Levi hasn't somehow figured out that Eren isn't being completely honest. It's real fear. With a very real cause. If Levi were human he'd most definitely be a police detective. Or a soldier. Because he's feisty, and dangerous and ridiculously strong and intimidating, and...

Also a barely foot-tall and decidedly domestic feline but that’s all beside the point.

Eren all but slams the bedroom door, barely blocking himself from the hissing hell creature on the other side of it. He sighs in relief, but guilt pierces his heart.

"I'm sorry, Levi, you can't keep terrorising people. Until you learn how to behave yourself, you're in here when people come over."

The sound of claws raking down wood and scraping off paint is the only response he gets, and it’s clear from the other side of the door. Eren winces.

"Sorry... I love you...?"

He gets a very enraged hiss in response.

He winces again.

The doorbell rings, and Levi goes silent. Eren doesn't think much of it, although it is rather unusual, and hesitantly starts towards the front door, moving backwards a few steps before hurriedly swinging around and jogging off.

Eren gets to the door and takes a deep breath, steeling his thoughts and readying himself for what he has to do. With a final sharp exhale, he pulls the door open and throws himself into the wrath of his soon-to-be ex.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for any mistakes or typos, if you find any feel free to point them out! Thanks.


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